
Cornish firm set to benefit from £8m Welsh Government investment in tidal energy project
A Cornish renewable energy firm is set to benefit from an £8 million equity investment by the Welsh Government in the Morlais tidal energy project, set to be the largest tidal scheme in Europe, to support its expansion and strengthen grid connections.
Cornwall-based Inyanga Marine has developed next generation tidal energy technology to be deployed at the site, which is based off the coast of Anglesey and set to begin operations in in 2026.
According to the Welsh government, once fully deployed, the project has the potential to supply power to up to 180,000 households. It offers a “plug and play” model designed to lower costs for tidal technology developers and accelerate commercial-scale deployment.
The latest investment will fund the Cydnerth phase, which includes reinforcing the grid connection at Parc Cybi, Holyhead.
Richard Parkinson, CEO of Inyanga Marine Energy Group, said: “The investment in Morlais will allow for a higher grid connection and more ducts for cable landings. This will enable expansion of our project.
“Inyanga Marine Energy Group is the largest developer at Morlais with 20MW secured for our project using our HydroWing technology and a further 5MW for our project with Verdant Morlais. Both of these projects have capacity to be expanded to 60MW. Everything is in place to expand this project to its full potential.”
“We want to make Wales a world centre for emerging tidal technologies and we’re off to a good start on several fronts,” said the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans.
“Our investment will support Menter Môn Morlais to scale up capacity, and develop an industrial cluster for tidal energy and innovation in north Wales, whilst delivering jobs and growth through its pioneering technology, keeping the value local. This will further benefit clean energy suppliers of all sizes and position Wales at the forefront of the energy transition.”
In October, Inyanga Marine announced plans for the first tidal current power plant in Indonesia.
Dan Pritchard, co-founder of Tech South West, said: “Inyanga Marine represents the best of the South West tech sector: a truly innovative company using technology for positive impact. From its work in Southeast Asia to the Morlais project in Wales, the company is flying the flag for the South West in its work to bring next-generation renewable energy solutions to market.”